When you have a garden that gifts you with a mountain of cucumbers, you learn to get creative! While we love our classic fermented dill pickles, this year we decided to dive into the world of sweet and tangy bread and butter pickles.

We started with a fantastic base recipe from Chef John at FoodWishes.com and, after a few tweaks to get the sweetness just right for our taste, we landed on this incredible recipe. They are crisp, tangy, and have just the right amount of sweetness to be addictive.

These are technically refrigerator pickles, so they're incredibly easy to make without the need for a full canning process. They're the perfect way to preserve that end-of-summer cucumber bounty.

 

pickles

Sweet & Tangy Bread and Butter Pickles

Prep time: 2 hours (includes brining time)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yields: Approx. 2-3 pints

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 sweet or mild red peppers (like red jalapeños or mini sweet peppers), thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt

For the Brine:

  • 2 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar (or adjust to your preferred sweetness)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seed
  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

  1. Salt the Vegetables: In a large bowl, combine the sliced cucumbers, onion, and peppers. Sprinkle the kosher salt over everything and toss well to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 4). This step is crucial for drawing out excess water and ensuring crunchy pickles.
  2. Rinse Thoroughly: Transfer the cucumber mixture to a colander and rinse it very well under cold running water for a few minutes. This removes the excess salt. Drain thoroughly.
  3. Prepare the Brine: While the cucumbers drain, combine all the brine ingredients (vinegar, sugar, water, garlic, and all spices) in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  4. Combine and Heat: Add the drained cucumber mixture to the hot brine in the saucepan. Stir everything together and heat until the mixture is just about to boil. Do not let it boil fully.
  5. Cool and Jar: Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately and let the pickles cool completely in the brine. Once cool, transfer the pickles and all the liquid into clean jars, seal with a lid, and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes & Tips

  • For Canning: If you wish to make these shelf-stable, skip step #5. Instead, pack the hot pickles and brine into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
  • Mustard Seed: We've made this with both whole mustard seed and ground mustard. Whole seed gives a better appearance, but ground mustard works just fine for flavor if that's what you have!
  • Let Them Marinate: These pickles are good right away, but their flavor is even better after they've had a day or two to marinate in the fridge.